Alleviation of insulitis and moderation of diabetes in NOD mice following treatment with a synthetic Pseudomonas aeruginosa signal molecule, N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone.

Author(s): Pritchard DI, Todd I, Brown A, Bycroft BW, Chhabra SR, Williams P, Wood P

Affiliation(s): School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK. pazdp@gwmail.nottingham.ac.uk

Publication date & source: 2005-10, Acta Diabetol., 42(3):119-22.

Publication type: Comparative Study ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Quorum sensing signal molecules (QSSMs) from the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa control bacterial population density and the expression of virulence determinants. Coincidentally, and possibly to allow this pathogen to gain a foothold in the human body, certain signal molecules also downregulate immunological responses in an apparently T-helper 1-selective manner, which would suggest their application as therapeutics to some autoimmune diseases. In the present paper, experiments are described that indicate that one particular signal molecule, a synthetic N-(3-oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, can be used to alleviate insulitis and diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, suggesting that bacterial signal molecules may represent a novel source of immune modulatory compounds for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, which afflicts more than 2 million individuals in Europe and North America.